New Delhi: In the wake of political upheaval in Bangladesh, Hindutva groups in India are reportedly intensifying their misinformation campaigns to incite anti-Muslim sentiments, disseminating false and misleading narratives about the recent events in Bangladesh.
According to Kashmir Media Service, these efforts follow the resignation of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests over government job reservations escalated into broader demands for her resignation. Hindutva groups have exploited these developments to spread fabricated stories and unrelated videos, alleging attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, including false accusations of rape, violence, and arson.
BJP MLA Nitesh Rane from Maharashtra was noted for making incendiary remarks against Bangladeshis in India, which he later retracted after public outcry. Fact-checkers like Mohammed Zubair have debunked several pieces of this misinformation, including videos from Bengaluru in 2021 misrepresented as current events in Bangladesh, and unfounded claims about Hindu persecution in Rangpur.
Additional misinformation involved a video wrongfully depicting a temple fire in Bangladesh, which was actually a shop fire, and a falsely attributed lynching of an elderly Hindu man, who was in fact Shahidul Islam, a local political figure.
This orchestrated spread of false information by pro-Hindutva groups and individuals not only aims to skew perceptions of the unrest in Bangladesh but also to stir sectarian strife within India. Fact-checkers and concerned social media users continue to expose these falsehoods, urging the public to remain vigilant against such divisive tactics.